Latest news with #Facetune
Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Health
- Gulf Today
Social media, self esteem: What's the connection?
Megan Moreno, Tribune News Service Ever since social media burst on the scene in the early 2000s, parents and health experts have worried about the potential impact on kids, particularly those in their early teens. Now researchers are asking how the curated content that kids see online makes them feel about themselves. Newer studies show that picture-perfect selfies and videos on Instagram, TikTok and other social media platforms can shake a young person's confidence. Kids who compare their authentic lives to these unreal images may find themselves feeling anxiety, envy and sometimes obsessive thoughts that can harm their health. Celebrities and influencers work hard to attract social followers — usually with an army of stylists, makeup artists, trainers and videographers helping them. But thanks to filters and photo editing tools like Facetune and others, kids may feel they can make themselves look perfect too. More than 70% of social media users refuse to post pictures online before Photoshopping them, one study shows. This desire to erase all flaws can be especially harmful for kids of colour. Research shows that photo editing apps often use beauty standards modelled on white people, reinforcing racist views of what's attractive and what's not. Setting goals and striving to meet them can be good for kids. But extreme content on social media can push them toward unrealistic standards that encourage dangerous habits. Some trends fueled by social media reflect unhealthy body images. This includes trends such as bigorexia, which drives young people to spend countless hours in the gym and eat a protein-heavy diet to build a 'jacked' body, or ultra-low-calorie eating plans displayed in 'what I eat in a day' videos posted by celebrities and influencers. Social platforms are designed to keep kids scrolling by serving up the content they like best. Most social media platforms use an algorithm to track what users view and watch to deliver similar content. This means that a teen who views unhealthy content out of curiosity may be shown more and more content of that type. It can become nearly impossible for them to outrun the images and stories that can drive compulsive behaviours. Social media's overall impact on an individual child is fueled by several factors. This includes their temperament, personality, health status, peer group and the content they view. However, it is also important to keep an eye on ways that social media can crowd out healthy behaviours that are also critical to mental health and self-esteem. For example, social media can contribute to reduced quality and quantity of sleep. It can also crowd out other important responsibilities such as schoolwork and time with family and friends. Even kids who don't fall into harmful eating or workout regimes may experience this crowding out of healthy behaviors and habits. Here are some suggestions from the American Academy of Pediatrics Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health that can help your child use social media in positive ways to learn, connect and grow. The first step is to engage in open communication. Kids often resist any move adults make to curb their freedom, so aim for a nonjudgmental approach. Ask your child to guide you by asking questions like what types of media they have been enjoying lately or simply asking if any content they've come across worries them or makes them uncomfortable. As your child opens up, try to listen more than talk. Make this a learning session that will help you uncover possible concerns and topics for future conversations. You don't have to 'solve' everything about social media in one conversation; the goal is to keep the lines of communication open over time. You may find your child knows a lot about the inner workings of the digital world. Still, they may not think too deeply about the content 'bubble' that algorithms create. If they're willing, try this experiment: Open your own social platform and search for something new. For example, if your feed focuses on sports or fashion, search for 'home improvement' or 'coin collecting.' Within a few clicks, you'll start to see new content on those topics. If your child is showing signs they have been comparing themselves to the unattainable content they see online, it may help to acknowledge that comparing ourselves to others is natural, but perfectionism can harm us. Pointing to examples from your own life may be helpful. For example: 'I used to watch hours of videos showing how to improve my tennis swing. But in the end, it just made me feel nervous about my game. Going out and practicing worked a lot better.'
Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
‘Perfect bodies, perfect lives': How selfie-editing tools are distorting how young people see themselves
Like many of her peers, Abigail (21) takes a lot of selfies, tweaks them with purpose-made apps, and posts them on social media. But, she says, the selfie-editing apps do more than they were designed for: 'You look at that idealised version of yourself and you just want it – you just want it to be real […] the more you do it, the better you get at it and the more subtle your editing is the easier it is to actually see yourself as that version.' Abigail was one of nearly 80 young people my colleagues and I interviewed as part of research into selfie-editing technologies. The findings, recently published in New Media and Society, are cause for alarm. They show selfie-editing technologies have significant impacts for young people's body image and wellbeing. Many young people carefully curate how they appear online. One reason for this is to negotiate the intense pressures of visibility in a digitally-networked world. Selfie-editing technologies enable this careful curation. The most popular selfie-editing apps include Facetune, Faceapp, and Meitu. They offer in-phone editing tools from lighting, colour and photo adjustments to 'touch ups' such as removing blemishes. These apps also offer 'structural' edits. These mimic cosmetic surgery procedures such as rhinoplasty (more commonly known as nose jobs) and facelifts. They also offer filters including an 'ageing' filter, 'gender swap' tool, and 'make up' and hairstyle try-ons. The range of editing options and incredible attention to details and correction of so-called 'flaws' these apps offer encourage the user to forensically analyse their face and body, making a series of micro changes with the tap of a finger. The research team I led included Amy Dobson (Curtin University), Akane Kanai (Monash University), Rosalind Gill (University of London) and Niamh White (Monash University). We wanted to understand how image-altering technologies were experienced by young people, and whether these tools impacted how they viewed themselves. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 33 young people aged between 18-24. We also ran 13 'selfie-editing' group workshops with 56 young people aged 18–24 who take selfies, and who use editing apps in Melbourne and Newcastle, Australia. Most participants identified as either 'female' or 'cis woman' (56). There were 12 who identified as either 'non-binary', 'genderfluid' or 'questioning', and 11 who identified as 'male' or 'cis man'. They identified as from a range of ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds. Facetune was the most widely-used facial-editing app. Participants also used Snapseed, Meitu, VSCO, Lightroom and the built-in beauty filters which are now standard in newer Apple or Samsung smartphones. Editing practices varied from those who irregularly made only minor edits such as lighting and cropping, to those who regularly used beauty apps and altered their faces and bodies in forensic detail, mimicking cosmetic surgical interventions. Approximately one third of participants described currently or previously making dramatic or 'structural' edits through changing the dimensions of facial features. These edits included reshaping noses, cheeks, head size, shoulders or waist 'cinching'. Young people told us that selfie taking and editing was an important way of showing 'who they are' to the world. As one participant told us, it's a way of saying 'I'm here, I exist'. But they also said the price of being online, and posting photos of themselves, meant they were aware of being seen alongside a set of images showing 'perfect bodies and perfect lives'. Participants told us they assume 'everyone's photos have been edited'. To keep up with this high standard, they needed to also be adept at editing photos to display their 'best self' – aligning with gendered and racialised beauty ideals. Photo-editing apps and filters were seen as a normal and expected way to achieve this. However, using these apps was described as a 'slippery slope', or a 'Pandora's box', where 'once you start editing it's hard to stop'. Young women in particular described feeling that the 'baseline standard to just feel normal' feels higher than ever, and that appearance pressures are intensifying. Many felt image-altering technologies such as beauty filters and editing apps are encouraging them to want to change their appearance 'in real life' through cosmetic non-surgical procedures such as fillers and Botox. As one participant, Amber (19), told us: 'I feel like a lot of plastic surgeries are now one step further than a filter.' Another participant, Freya (20), described a direct link between editing photos and cosmetic enhancement procedures. Ever since I started [editing my body in photos], I wanted to change it in real life […] That's why I decided to start getting lip and cheek filler. Altering the relationship between technology and the human experience These findings suggest image-editing technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) filters and selfie-editing apps, have significant impacts for young people's body image and wellbeing. The rapid expansion of generative AI in 'beauty cam' technologies in the cosmetic and beauty retail industries makes it imperative to study these impacts, as well as how young people experience these new technologies. These cameras are able to visualise 'before and after' on a user's face with minute forensic detail. These technologies, through their potential to alter relationship between technology and the human experience at the deepest level, may have devastating impacts on key youth mental health concerns such as body image.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
‘Perfect bodies, perfect lives'
body image cosmetic surgery mental health Like many of her peers, Abigail (21) takes a lot of selfies, tweaks them with purpose-made apps, and posts them on social media. But, she says, the selfie-editing apps do more than they were designed for:'You look at that idealised version of yourself and you just want it – you just want it to be real […] the more you do it, the better you get at it and the more subtle your editing is the easier it is to actually see yourself as that version.'Abigail was one of nearly 80 young people my colleagues and I interviewed as part of research into selfie-editing findings, recently published in New Media and Society, are cause for show selfie-editing technologies have significant impacts for young people'sand young people carefully curate how they appear online. One reason for this is to negotiate the intense pressures of visibility in a digitally-networked technologies enable this careful most popular selfie-editing apps include Facetune, Faceapp, and Meitu. They offer in-phone editing tools from lighting, colour and photo adjustments to 'touch ups' such as removing apps also offer 'structural' edits. These mimicprocedures such as rhinoplasty (more commonly known as nose jobs) and facelifts. They also offer filters including an 'ageing' filter, 'gender swap' tool, and 'make up' and hairstyle range of editing options and incredible attention to details and correction of so-called 'flaws' these apps offer encourage the user to forensically analyse their face and body, making a series of micro changes with the tap of a research team I led included Amy Dobson (Curtin University), Akane Kanai (Monash University), Rosalind Gill (University of London) and Niamh White (Monash University).We wanted to understand how image-altering technologies were experienced by young people, and whether these tools impacted how they viewed conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 33 young people aged between 18-24. We also ran 13 'selfie-editing' group workshops with 56 young people aged 18–24 who take selfies, and who use editing apps in Melbourne and Newcastle, participants identified as either 'female' or 'cis woman' (56). There were 12 who identified as either 'non-binary', 'genderfluid' or 'questioning', and 11 who identified as 'male' or 'cis man'. They identified as from a range of ethnic, racial and cultural was the most widely-used facial-editing app. Participants also used Snapseed, Meitu, VSCO, Lightroom and the built-in beauty filters which are now standard in newer Apple or Samsung practices varied from those who irregularly made only minor edits such as lighting and cropping, to those who regularly used beauty apps and altered their faces and bodies in forensic detail, mimicking cosmetic surgical one third of participants described currently or previously making dramatic or 'structural' edits through changing the dimensions of facial features. These edits included reshaping noses, cheeks, head size, shoulders or waist 'cinching'.Young people told us that selfie taking and editing was an important way of showing 'who they are' to the one participant told us, it's a way of saying 'I'm here, I exist'. But they also said the price of being online, and posting photos of themselves, meant they were aware of being seen alongside a set of images showing 'perfect bodies and perfect lives'.Participants told us they assume 'everyone's photos have been edited'. To keep up with this high standard, they needed to also be adept at editing photos to display their 'best self' – aligning with gendered and racialised beauty apps and filters were seen as a normal and expected way to achieve this. However, using these apps was described as a 'slippery slope', or a 'Pandora's box', where 'once you start editing it's hard to stop'.Young women in particular described feeling that the 'baseline standard to just feel normal' feels higher than ever, and that appearance pressures are felt image-altering technologies such as beauty filters and editing apps are encouraging them to want to change their appearance 'in real life' through cosmetic non-surgical procedures such as fillers and one participant, Amber (19), told us: 'I feel like a lot of plastic surgeries are now one step further than a filter.'Another participant, Freya (20), described a direct link between editing photos and cosmetic enhancement since I started [editing my body in photos], I wanted to change it in real life […] That's why I decided to start getting lip and cheek the relationship between technology and the human experienceThese findings suggest image-editing technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) filters and selfie-editing apps, have significant impacts for young people's body image and rapid expansion of generative AI in 'beauty cam' technologies in the cosmetic and beauty retail industries makes it imperative to study these impacts, as well as how young people experience these new cameras are able to visualise 'before and after' on a user's face with minute forensic technologies, through their potential to alter the relationship between technology and the human experience at the deepest level, may have devastating impacts on key youthconcerns such as body image.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
How selfie-editing apps are encouraging young women to get cosmetic procedures
Like many of her peers, 21-year-old Abigail takes a lot of selfies, tweaks them with purpose-made apps, and posts them on social media. But, she says, the selfie-editing apps do more than they were designed for: 'You look at that idealised version of yourself and you just want it – you just want it to be real […] the more you do it, the better you get at it and the more subtle your editing is the easier it is to actually see yourself as that version.' Abigail was one of nearly 80 young people my colleagues and I interviewed as part of research into selfie-editing technologies. The findings, recently published in New Media & Society, are cause for alarm. They show selfie-editing technologies have significant impacts for young people's body image and wellbeing. Carefully curating an online image Many young people carefully curate how they appear online. One reason for this is to negotiate the intense pressures of visibility in a digitally-networked world. Selfie-editing technologies enable this careful curation. The most popular selfie-editing apps include Facetune, Faceapp, and Meitu. They offer in-phone editing tools from lighting, colour and photo adjustments to 'touch ups' such as removing blemishes. These apps also offer 'structural' edits. These mimic cosmetic surgery procedures such as rhinoplasty (more commonly known as nose jobs) and facelifts. They also offer filters including an 'ageing' filter, 'gender swap' tool, and 'make up' and hairstyle try-ons. The range of editing options and incredible attention to details and correction of so-called 'flaws' these apps offer encourage the user to forensically analyse their face and body, making a series of micro changes with the tap of a finger. A wide range of editing practices The research team I led included Amy Dobson (Curtin University), Akane Kanai (Monash University), Rosalind Gill (University of London) and Niamh White (Monash University). We wanted to understand how image-altering technologies were experienced by young people, and whether these tools impacted how they viewed themselves. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 33 young people aged between 18-24. We also ran 13 'selfie-editing' group workshops with 56 young people aged 18–24 who take selfies, and who use editing apps in Melbourne and Newcastle, Australia. Most participants identified as either 'female' or 'cis woman' (56). There were 12 who identified as either 'non-binary', 'genderfluid' or 'questioning', and 11 who identified as 'male' or 'cis man'. They identified as from a range of ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds. Facetune was the most widely-used facial-editing app. Participants also used Snapseed, Meitu, VSCO, Lightroom and the built-in beauty filters which are now standard in newer Apple or Samsung smartphones. Editing practices varied from those who irregularly made only minor edits such as lighting and cropping, to those who regularly used beauty apps and altered their faces and bodies in forensic detail, mimicking cosmetic surgical interventions. Approximately one third of participants described currently or previously making dramatic or 'structural' edits through changing the dimensions of facial features. These edits included reshaping noses, cheeks, head size, shoulders or waist 'cinching'. Showcasing your 'best self' Young people told us that selfie taking and editing was an important way of showing 'who they are' to the world. As one participant told us, it's a way of saying 'I'm here, I exist'. But they also said the price of being online, and posting photos of themselves, meant they were aware of being seen alongside a set of images showing 'perfect bodies and perfect lives'. Participants told us they assume 'everyone's photos have been edited'. To keep up with this high standard, they needed to also be adept at editing photos to display their 'best self' – aligning with gendered and racialised beauty ideals. Photo-editing apps and filters were seen as a normal and expected way to achieve this. However, using these apps was described as a 'slippery slope', or a 'Pandora's box', where 'once you start editing it's hard to stop'. Young women in particular described feeling that the 'baseline standard to just feel normal' feels higher than ever, and that appearance pressures are intensifying. Many felt image-altering technologies such as beauty filters and editing apps are encouraging them to want to change their appearance 'in real life' through cosmetic non-surgical procedures such as fillers and Botox. As one participant, Amber (19), told us: 'I feel like a lot of plastic surgeries are now one step further than a filter.' Another participant, Freya (20), described a direct link between editing photos and c osmetic enhancement procedures. 'Ever since I started [editing my body in photos], I wanted to change it in real life […] That's why I decided to start getting lip and cheek filler.' Altering the relationship between technology and the human experience These findings suggest image-editing technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) filters and selfie-editing apps, have significant impacts for young people's body image and wellbeing. The rapid expansion of generative AI in 'beauty cam' technologies in the cosmetic and beauty retail industries makes it imperative to study these impacts, as well as how young people experience these new technologies. These cameras are able to visualise 'before and after' on a user's face with minute forensic detail. These technologies, through their potential to alter relationship between technology and the human experience at the deepest level, may have devastating impacts on key youth mental health concerns such as body image. Julia Coffey is an Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Newcastle.
NDTV
22-05-2025
- Health
- NDTV
How Editing Apps Make Perfect Body Image Among Young People: Study
Callaghan: Like many of her peers, Abigail (21) takes a lot of selfies, tweaks them with purpose-made apps, and posts them on social media. But, she says, the selfie-editing apps do more than they were designed for: You look at that idealised version of yourself and you just want it - you just want it to be real [...] the more you do it, the better you get at it and the more subtle your editing is the easier it is to actually see yourself as that version. Abigail was one of nearly 80 young people my colleagues and I interviewed as part of research into selfie-editing technologies. The findings, recently published in New Media & Society, are cause for alarm. They show selfie-editing technologies have significant impacts for young people's body image and wellbeing. Carefully curating an online image Many young people carefully curate how they appear online. One reason for this is to negotiate the intense pressures of visibility in a digitally-networked world. Selfie-editing technologies enable this careful curation. The most popular selfie-editing apps include Facetune, Faceapp, and Meitu. They offer in-phone editing tools from lighting, colour and photo adjustments to "touch ups" such as removing blemishes. These apps also offer "structural" edits. These mimic cosmetic surgery procedures such as rhinoplasty (more commonly known as nose jobs) and facelifts. They also offer filters including an "ageing" filter, "gender swap" tool, and "make up" and hairstyle try-ons. The range of editing options and incredible attention to details and correction of so-called "flaws" these apps offer encourage the user to forensically analyse their face and body, making a series of micro changes with the tap of a finger. A wide range of editing practices The research team I led included Amy Dobson (Curtin University), Akane Kanai (Monash University), Rosalind Gill (University of London) and Niamh White (Monash University). We wanted to understand how image-altering technologies were experienced by young people, and whether these tools impacted how they viewed themselves. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 33 young people aged between 18-24. We also ran 13 "selfie-editing" group workshops with 56 young people aged 18-24 who take selfies, and who use editing apps in Melbourne and Newcastle, Australia. Most participants identified as either "female" or "cis woman" (56). There were 12 who identified as either "non-binary", "genderfluid" or "questioning", and 11 who identified as "male" or "cis man". They identified as from a range of ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds. Facetune was the most widely-used facial-editing app. Participants also used Snapseed, Meitu, VSCO, Lightroom and the built-in beauty filters which are now standard in newer Apple or Samsung smartphones. Editing practices varied from those who irregularly made only minor edits such as lighting and cropping, to those who regularly used beauty apps and altered their faces and bodies in forensic detail, mimicking cosmetic surgical interventions. Approximately one third of participants described currently or previously making dramatic or "structural" edits through changing the dimensions of facial features. These edits included reshaping noses, cheeks, head size, shoulders or waist "cinching". Showcasing your 'best self' Young people told us that selfie taking and editing was an important way of showing "who they are" to the world. As one participant told us, it's a way of saying "I'm here, I exist". But they also said the price of being online, and posting photos of themselves, meant they were aware of being seen alongside a set of images showing "perfect bodies and perfect lives". Participants told us they assume "everyone's photos have been edited". To keep up with this high standard, they needed to also be adept at editing photos to display their "best self" - aligning with gendered and racialised beauty ideals. Photo-editing apps and filters were seen as a normal and expected way to achieve this. However, using these apps was described as a "slippery slope", or a "Pandora's box", where "once you start editing it's hard to stop". Young women in particular described feeling that the "baseline standard to just feel normal" feels higher than ever, and that appearance pressures are intensifying. Many felt image-altering technologies such as beauty filters and editing apps are encouraging them to want to change their appearance "in real life" through cosmetic non-surgical procedures such as fillers and Botox. As one participant, Amber (19), told us: I feel like a lot of plastic surgeries are now one step further than a filter. Another participant, Freya (20), described a direct link between editing photos and cosmetic enhancement procedures. Ever since I started [editing my body in photos], I wanted to change it in real life [...] That's why I decided to start getting lip and cheek filler. Altering the relationship between technology and the human experience These findings suggest image-editing technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) filters and selfie-editing apps, have significant impacts for young people's body image and wellbeing. The rapid expansion of generative AI in "beauty cam" technologies in the cosmetic and beauty retail industries makes it imperative to study these impacts, as well as how young people experience these new technologies. These cameras are able to visualise "before and after" on a user's face with minute forensic detail. These technologies, through their potential to alter relationship between technology and the human experience at the deepest level, may have devastating impacts on key youth mental health concerns such as body image.
